The United States announced nearly $94 million humanitarian assistance to help the people of Yemen

The United States has announced nearly $94 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help the people of Yemen, who have suffered through two years of civil war and are experiencing the largest food security emergency in the world.

U.N. Declares Yemen a Top Humanitarian Crisis

According to a Press Release by USAID on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, the additional funding brings the total U.S. humanitarian contribution to nearly $526 million since the 2016 fiscal year.

The new funding will provide food and clean drinking water to vulnerable families, treatment for malnourished children, hygiene kits to fight the spread of disease, lifesaving medical supplies and training for health care workers, and emergency shelter for those displaced, among other kinds of aid.

The ongoing conflict that broke out in March 2015 is the primary driver of this humanitarian crisis. More than 17 million people are at risk of starvation. The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian support to the people of Yemen while we work to end the conflict through a comprehensive peace agreement. We call upon all parties to ensure unimpeded access for commercial and humanitarian goods throughout the country. We also urge other humanitarian donors to increase their level of support during this critical time of need.

“With more than 2.2 million people displaced, food and fuel imports cut short and livelihoods destroyed, more than 70 percent of Yemenis are in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance.”

UNICEF says the country’s water and sanitation infrastructure has also been ravaged, posing serious health risks and that rRestrictions on the importation of fuel have disrupted the delivery of water to millions of people in one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth.